Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era

Random thoughts

In our view

Some random thoughts heading into Super Bowl weekend.

·Is Brad Igou Lancaster County's version of Kenny Kramer?

You remember Cosmo Kramer, Jerry Seinfeld's neighbor in the sitcom of the same name. Kenny Kramer was the real-life inspiration for Cosmo Kramer, who was played by actor Michael Richards.

The real Kenny Kramer lived across the hall from Larry David, co-creator of the Seinfeld series. When the show took off, Kenny created Kramer's Reality tour -- bus tours that showcased the places seen on the sitcom.

Like the TV Kramer character, Kenny Kramer has been described as wacky and a bit off-the-wall.

Igou, who dresses more like Mr. Rogers, is planning an "Amish Mafia" Tour of sites where the Discovery Channel show has been filmed. It likely will include stops in Bird-in-Hand and New Holland. Who knows, they may even catch a glimpse of some of the characters.

Igou's proposed price -- $29.95 -- is cheaper than the $37.50 Kenny Kramer charges for his bus tour.

And while Kenny Kramer dispenses tidbits about Seinfeld behind the scenes, Igou promises a more honest view of Amish culture.

·Not included on Igou's tour -- unless "Amish Mafia" headliner Lebanon Levi makes a visit -- is Club Good Times in Columbia, which is seeking borough authorization to allow nude dancing.

What is surprising is that, according to Jeffrey Helm, Columbia's zoning and planning officer, borough ordinances allow adult entertainment including nude dancing. Who knew? The immediate concern for borough residents is where that dancing should take place.

Helm says the ordinances allow for adult entertainment in industrial zones. The club, formerly Hartman's Cafe, is located in a residential zone. The club has been allowed to host almost-nude dancing for decades because the establishment existed before the borough's zoning laws were changed in 1999.

Understandably, neighbors and borough officials oppose the club's request. The borough has 45 days to rule.

We have gun-free and drug-free zoning. Is nude-free-dancing zoning on the horizon?

·And speaking of tours, Adam Taliaferro shined a meaningful light on Schreiber Pediatric Rehab Center during a visit Wednesday.

Taliaferro was a Penn State defensive back who was paralyzed from the neck down after suffering a spinal cord injury during a game against Ohio State in 2000. He was told he would never walk again. Miraculously, less than one year later, he walked out of the Penn State tunnel to lead the football team onto the field at Beaver Stadium.

Taliaferro now serves as a patient advocate for Bristol-Myers Squib and travels throughout the country speaking to organizations such as Schreiber that perform miracles every day.

His presence serves to remind us that even though tomorrow's Super Bowl will have some people at a fever pitch, it's the little things in life -- like the ability to walk -- that are truly worth celebrating.